Muffler and tailpipe hanger



May 8, 1956 E. J. GERDY MUFFLER AND TAILPIPE HANGER Filed Feb. 28

IN VEN TOR.

EMANUEL J. GERDY BYM 2 w x/(m United States Patent MUFFLER AND TAILPIPE HANGER Emanuel J. Gerdy, Cleveland, Ohio Application February 28, 1952, Serial N 0. 273,835 3 Claims. Cl. 248-60) This invention relates to automotive exhaust system hanger brackets to support the tailpipe and clamp tailpipe to mufller.

Tailpipe hangers are noted as trouble makers and rattle producers in modern motor vehicles. They are either quite cumbersome, and made to fit only one model and make of car, or they are very flimsy and flexible to permit twisting and distorting to thus make them universal for several models and makes.

As a particular example of an attempt to produce a universal hanger, a clamp has been devised having one flexible strap to attach to the frame of the car. This hanger fails rapidly, because it allows the exhaust sys tem to bounce upwardly and snap the single hanger strap when it falls. There is no lateral support. Repeated snapping of this strap promotes rapid disintegration.

Of course, an exact replica of the original equipment gives good service, but parts suppliers cannot produce such a wide variety for all past model cars and profitably maintain a satisfactory inventory. A universal model is the only practical solution for replacement business.

Further, whenever a flexible strap member, such as corded rubber straps, is permanently flexed when in stalled, it is not as rigid to resist an endwise face as such a strap in its natural flat condition. Thus, a twisted strap is weak.

Therefore, an object of this invention is to provide a muffler tailpipe hanger bracket having a universal adjustment with no appreciable flexing of the component parts thereof as installed.

Another object of this invention is to provide two spaced resilient straps in such a hanger bracket to prevent lateral sway of the supported exhaust system.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a self-aligning clamp with two lateral brackets, one of which is pivotally fastened to the clamp and the other of which is secured to the car, and two longitudinally extending resilient straps to provide. insulation and sound absorption, each pivotally fastened to both brackets, all in rectangular form, to prevent lateral sway of the clamp, and provide a universal clamp for many different types of installations without straining, bending, or twisting of the resilient straps.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of theinvention may be had by referring to the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1; is side elevational view of the preferred embodiment of the invention as installed at the junction of a muffler and a tailpipe, and hanging from a frame directly overhead;

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the clamp portion of Figure l, to show the hinge arrangement of the clamp;

Figure 3 is a side view of the hanger in the position illustrated in Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a view taken from the side, but with the hanger extending to a frame member running at an 2,744,706 Patented May 8, 1956 angle, thereby necessitating a universal action swivel of the hanger.

With reference to the drawing, the preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated as comprising a clamp 10 to tighten securely upon a tubular portion of the exhaust system of an internal combustion engine. A muiiier 24 having outlet 25 thereon is illustrated in the drawings, and a short section of tailpipe 26 is shown inserted into the outlet 25. The clamp 10, therefore, serves to clamp the outlet 25 and tailpipe 26 tightly together, and at the same time the hanger supports the weight of the exhaust system. It is to be understood, of course, that the hanger illustrated and described herein may be used rearwardly solely for support, and having no function of joining two pipe members together.

in the preferred embodiment of the invention, there is provided a top flange member 12 having a hinge-flange l3 and a draw-flange 27. A bottom clamp member 11 having a hinge-flange 15 and a draw-flange 28 completes the clamp member 10. The top clamp member is provided with a rectangular opening 14 through the hingeflange 13 thereof, and the hinge-flange 15 of the bottom clamp member 11 may be inserted therethrough to join the two clamp members together. A bolt and nut assembly 16 is preferably employed to draw the flanges 27 and 28 together and clamp the hinged clamp members tightly upon the member to be clamped and supported.

A first laterally extending bracket 17, preferably of metal to provide rigidity, is pivotally secured to and carried by the top clamp member 12 by means of a rivet 19. In the drawings all of the pivoted junctions are illustrated in the form of rounded head rivets. It is to e understood that this is one form of suitable illustration and is intended to convey a pivotable junction unless otherwise specifically stated. Hollow rivets and bolt and nut assemblies are quite generally employed for this purpose, but rounded rivets may be employed if provision is made to assure pivotability.

The bracket 17 is provided with ends 18 thereon turned upwardly with respect to the clamp 10.

A bracket 20, having ends 21 turned in a similar manner to the turned ends 18 of bracket 17, is spaced a distance from the bracket 17. Two resilient rectangular straps 29 extend between the turned ends 18 and 21 of the brackets 17 and 20 respectively and are secured to the turned ends by means of rivets 22. The rivets 22 are also lose enough to provide snug pivotal movement between the straps 29 and the mating bracket ends.

A hole 30 is provided in the central area of the bracket 20 in order to receive a bolt 23 for securing the bracket 20 to the frame of the vehicle.

Resilient members of any suitable type will suihce for the straps 29, but it has been found that rubberized fabric such as corded rubberized rectangular straps of about one-quarter inch thickness are the most suitable because of the considerable stiffness of such straps with a strong resistance to endwise compression. In addition, these straps provide resiliency and sound absorption. Furthermore, this material is extremely long lived and is little affected by weather conditions.

As illustrated and described, this improved hanger bracket presents a rectangular form of bridge between the frame and clamp which may be adjusted with re-- strap is first installed; but as many thousands of bumps are encountered as the vehicle is driven, the twisted strap will gradually weaken and permit a greater and greater flexing until failure results.

In the bracket of this invention there is no appreciable twisting of the straps upon installation, because the hanger can fit between the tailpipe and any structural member within its length because ofits universal adjustment nature. Thus, the straps 20 always present a perfectly flat and untwisted strap to resist endwise force.

Furthermore, because of the spaced rectangular nature of this improved hanger bracket, side sway is materially lessened because an attempt on the part of the clamp portion to move laterally will cause a considerable shortening of the distance between the bracket mem bers 17 and 2%. Such shortening requires considerable force to bend the straps in the lateral direction and a considerable resistance is encountered to the lateral movement. Furthermore, by the provision of the turned ends in conjunction with the two lateral resilient members, there are presented four points of bending to resist lateral movement.

Although the invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A muffler tailpipe clamp and hanger comprising, a top clamp member having a hinge-flange and a drawflange, a bottom clamp member having a hinge-flange and a draw-flange, said hinge-flange of one of said clamp members having a rectangular opening therethrough, the other said hinge-flange dimensioned to extend through said rectangular opening, means to draw the draw-flanges together and thereby clamp cylindrical members between the top and bottom clamp members, a first bracket member pivotally carried by said top clamp member, a second bracket member adapted to be supported from a mounting surface and spaced from said first bracket member, first and second spaced flexible strap members of rectangular cross section to resist twisting thereof, and pivot attachment means attaching said first and second flexible members to said first and second bracket members respectively in rectangular form with the two bracket members oppositely disposed, and the two flexible rubberized strap members oppositely disposed, in rectangular relationship, whereby said second bracket member and said clamp members may be swiveled as a universal joint with respect to one another to provide semi-rigid resilient support of a mufiler and tailpipe from any suitable mounting surface within reach regardless of the angular relationship of the mounting surface to the tailplpe.

2. Universal joint means for connecting a muffler pipe to a support member, said universal joint means comprising a first substantially U-shaped bracket having first and second end portions and an intermediate portion therebetween, said first and second end portions constituting sides of the U-shaped bracket and extending laterally away from the intermediate portion thereof, first pivotal connection means for connecting said intermediate portion of said first substantially U-shaped bracket to said support member, a second substantially U-shaped bracket having first and second end portions and an intermediate portion therebetween, said last mentioned first and second end portions constituting sides of the second substantially U-shaped bracket and extending laterally from the intermediate portion thereof, said first and second substantially U-shaped brackets facing each other with the first end portions of said substantially U-shaped brackets being in alignment with each other and with the second end portions of said substantially U-shaped brackets being in alignment with each other, a first strap member having end portions, a second strap member having end portions, first and second pivot means connecting said end portions of said first strap member respectively to the first end portions of the first and second substantially U-shaped brackets, third and fourth pivot means connecting said end portions of the second strap member respectively to the second end portions of the first and second substantially U-shaped bracket members, a clamp to engage the mufller pipe, and second pivotal connection means for connecting said clamp to the intermediate portion of the second substantially U-shaped bracket.

3. Universal joint means for connecting a muffler pipe to a support member, said universal joint means comprising a first substantially U-shaped bracket having first and second end portions and an intermediate portion therebetween, said first and second end portions constituting sides of the U-shaped bracket and extending laterally away from the intermediate portion thereof, first pivotal connection means for connecting said intermediate portion of said first substantially U-shaped bracket to said support member, a second substantially U-shaped bracket having first and second end portions and an. intermediate portion therebetween, said last mentioned first and second end portions constituting sides of the second substantially U-shaped bracket and extending laterally from the intermediate portion thereof, said first and second substantially U-shaped brackets facing each. other with the first end portions of said substantially U-shaped brackets being in alignment with each other and with the second end portions of said substantially U-shaped brackets being in alignment with each other, a first strap member having end portions, 21 second strap member having end portions, first and second pivot means connecting said end portions of said first strap member respectively to the first end portions of the first and second substantially U-shaped brackets, third and fourth pivot means connecting said end portions of the second strap member respectively to the second end portions of the first and second substantially U-shaped bracket members, a clamp to engage the muffler pipe, and second pivotal connection means for connecting said clamp to the intermediate portion of the second substantially U-shaped bracket, said first and second strap members comprising resilient corded rubberized material to resist twist.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,084,936 Forbes Ian. 20, 1914 1,398,294 Carlson Nov. 29, 1921 1,471,386 Crockett Oct. 23, 1923 1,535,718 Deyler Apr. 28, 1925 1,635,164 Admur July 12, 1927 1,819,754 Mott Aug. 18, 1931 2,267,431 Steensen Dec. 23, 1941 2,371,009 Wirkkala Mar. 6, 1945 

